Playlist: New Tunes From Casiokids, The Black Keys

Norwegian band Casiokids tap the local bar vibe on Topp Stemning På Lokal Bar, out June 8.

Playlist spins new music by Norwegian electro-indie-pop outfit Casiokids and Ohio garage-blues duo The Black Keys this week. Also on tap: Tunes from British R&B revival group The Heavy, the Mega Man-inspired Protomen and Stereogum darling Neon Indian.

Who:CasiokidsSong: “Fot I Hose”Album:Topp Stemning På Lokal Bar
This upbeat instrumental track comes from the nothing-if-not-upbeat Norwegian nine-piece, Casiokids. The group’s bouncy U.S. debut on Polyvinyl Record Company, the title of which loosely translates to “Great Vibe at Local Bar,” is chock-full of positive vibrations and dance beats, which at times recall the quirky canned drums and low sample rate of Casio keyboards — the often-inexpensive, portable synthesizers from which the band takes its name. Topp Stemning På Lokal Bar hits stores June 8.

Who:The Black KeysSong: “Tighten Up”Album:Brothers
Raw and energetic, garage-blues duo The Black Keys has proven to be a prolific rock ‘n’ roll powerhouse. Since 2001, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have been cranking out music that is as noisy and bare-bones as it is beautiful — all the while averaging about an album per year. Brothers, out May 18 on Nonesuch Records, is the Akron, Ohio-based group’s most tightly wound effort to date.

Who:The HeavySong: “Sixteen”Album:The House That Dirt Built
English rhythm-and-blues-revival outfit The Heavy would fit right in on a bill with The Black Keys. The group also should mesh well with Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings when The Heavy supports the retro diva on her forthcoming summer tour. The Heavy, which dropped The House That Dirt Built last year on Counter Records, sounds like a band the boys from Animal House might have hired, had Otis Day been unavailable to play the Delta Tau Chi toga party. The overdriven vocals and dirty groove of “Sixteen” are infectious.

Who:The ProtomenSong: “The Hounds”Album:Act II: The Father of Death
The members of this Nashville group fancy themselves more than mere musicians. According to the band’s bio, they are “messengers, riding atop an Iron Stallion on their way to deliver the most vicious rock ‘n’ roll fable that the world has ever known.” Much like The Dear Hunter and Coheed and Cambria, The Protomen’s music follows a narrative, in part informed by the Nintendo game Mega Man. Each of the group’s 10 members is a character in this saga, which unfolds in a William Gibson-esque world of neon light where morality has been fractured by technology. “The Hounds,” with its galloping rhythm, rising horns, wavering organ and shout-along choruses, is reminiscent of the prog-ska of RX Bandits. Act II came out last year on Sound Machine.

Who:Neon IndianSong: “Deadbeat Summer”Album:Psychic Chasms
Brooklyn, New York-based electro-indie outfit Neon Indian has been garnering acclaim from many hip blogs of late. (The group’s mastermind, Alan Palomo, recently sat down with Peter Gabriel to chat about electronic music on Stereogum.) “Deadbeat Summer” melds the washed-out psych sounds of groups like Moon Duo with the warm analog synth tones of Javelin. Psychic Chasms came out on Lefse Records.